And This Is Why People Shouldn't Wear Masks
by Diana Prallon
Summary: It was not his fault that he was staring. It might be the tequila's fault, though.


**And This is Why People Shouldn't Wear Masks**

Merlin was _not_ a guy who'd usually go crazy by just looking at someone, but there was something particularly special about that Spider man — well, who was he kidding? It was all that spandex, moulding the guy's frame perfectly, leaving nothing to imagination. Leaving so little that it made his heart jump a bit just from looking at it because — well. He _had_ just turned eighteen, and that boy was just delectable.

It was _not_ his usual type, if he were to be honest. He normally would go for larger, more imposing man — he _had_ dated Percival the year before, and the guy was built like a Wookie — well, a clean shaved Wookie, but a Wookie nonetheless. They certainly _had_ chosen the right group costume for this year. This boy was clearly smaller, even if he was broader than Merlin himself, they shared the same wiry frame. Spiderman and him were about the same size, but the super-hero had clearly muscled arms and legs in spite of being skinny. And that bulge — that mouth-watering bulge in the middle of his legs, well. It was _not_ his fault that he was staring.

It _might_ be the tequila's fault, though.

"Close your mouth" said Gwaine, with a laugh. "You're drooling."

"You can't see my mouth" Merlin answered, knowing it to be true; the helmet was heavy and hot even this late in the year, and it made his voice sound weird, he felt as if he was shouting all the time.

"Yeah, but I can _tell_ any way. Then again, maybe you should keep staring — you sound out of breath enough to be in character."

"Fuck you" he answered, without any real heat.

"Well — I would, but you're always going on and on about how it'd screw up out friendship and…"

"Gross" Merlin said, turning around, but Spiderman was gone. "Where did he go?"

"Talking to Morgana" Gwaine answered, with a small gesture on the opposite direction. "I just want to say one more time that we _should_ have asked her to join us — she'd be a perfect Leia…"

"There aren't enough female characters — you know that Morgana would never do it without Gwen, and…"

"Gwen could've been… I don't know, a trooper?"

"You just wanted to see her in a golden bikini" Merlin knew his friend too well.

"Can you blame me?"

"Why am I even friends with you?"

"Because I'm charming" he answered immediately. "Come on, let's go say hi."

Merlin should have protested, he really should, but Spiderman was like a magnet, pulling him in quickly. Morgana turned to look at him as he arrived, and he smiled only to remember she wasn't seeing it.

"Which one are you?" she asked, holding a hand up for the other boy to stop speaking.

"Vader" he responded, although he was sure this wasn't the question.

"I'm _not_ a moron" her tongue was as sharp as ever. "I can _see_ that — that's not…"

"It's a secret!" Gwaine sing-singed, before swooshing his hair. "We're all nameless tonight — we're the legion of the force."

"You don't have a mask on" she pointed out " _everyone_ knows you are you."

"Yeah, well, can't hide a face like this" he answered, with a smile. Morgana scoffed. "Or mess with this hair."

"If you meant to be anonymous, you should've asked Percy to shrink a few centimetres" Gwen said, with a small smile. "Although it really does suit him."

The two of them has come as Bonnie and Clyde, Morgana in well cut — if slightly big — suit that must have been Arthur's quite a few years ago and a hat, she held her gun in a way that made Merlin sure that she _could_ probably use it. Well, if it were a real one at least. Gwen looked dazzling in her period dress, the bonnet inclined in her head in a completely charming way.

"I think it is fun" Spiderman said, his voice muffled inside the mask. "I mean, secret identities."

"You'd think so, _Peter Parker_ _"_ Morgana mocked, "I just find it disturbing — there are over ten different stormtroopers in this party!"

"But only one Darth Vader" Merlin answered, but his eyes were glued to fake-Parker's form. "I am irreplaceable."

"He's using Vader's voice!" Gwen said, with a giggle. "This is good, guys, this is _commitment —_ I bet you'll win the contest."

"It's certainly something else" Spider agreed, and Merlin could see his smile even through the mask. "I'll have to accept my defeat."

"I thought Spiderman never accepted defeat" Merlin replied, emboldened by the mask and the alcohol. "I thought he'd keep fighting."

"Spiderman is all about being beat up" disagreed the boy. "Clearly, you haven't read much of it!"

"Not my thing, sorry" Merlin laughed.

"Don't laugh, it sounds creepy" Gwen said, with a frown, and Morgana put her arm around her girlfriend's shoulders, pulling her close.

"Go away, you're scaring my girl" she said with a shooing motion.

"I'm not even wearing a mask!" complained Gwaine, and Morgana gave him an appraising look.

"You can stay — you two, go."

"I think we have been expelled from her domain" Spiderman said, with a giggle. "We better hurry before she decides to use that thing on us."

"I think it's a fake one" Merlin supplied, helpfully.

"As if Morgana would be stopped by something as trivial as a fake gun — come on."

Merlin wasn't about to complain that a hot guy was holding his arm and pulling him to the garden. It was hardly a secluded place, and there were plenty of people walking around, talking and drinking. He let go of Merlin's arm and started talking again, but made no move to stop.

"So — Spiderman isn't your thing. A pity. I thought you had a good taste."

"I have _impeccable_ taste" Merlin protested, his arms flailing. "I'm Darth Vader — now, that's a good choice — if too warm. But you're good too — I mean, it's _not_ my thing, but I it fits you really well."

"Thank you" the other boy said, with a giggle. "It's a bit too hot though."

"A bit like you" Merlin heard himself say, and he gave the boy a full once-over without even meaning too. At least the helmet kept the guy from seeing how he was blushing. "I mean, I…"

"You're not too bad yourself" he answered, and winked. "I mean, for a half-droid that was almost burned to death."

"Thanks" he said with a laugh.

"I bet you're reeeeeally good at using _The Force_ to bring things to you" he continued, his voice heavy. "It's probably useful."

"I'm trying now, is it working?" Merlin asked, and the two of them giggled non stop.

"Well, I don't know — but my spider sense is tingling."

"Maybe you should use the web on me" Merlin continued, part of himself horrified at the things spilling out of his mouth; damn, he sounded like Gwaine, cheap and seductive. "I'm a bad guy, after all, you can't just let me roaming around."

"I really can't — god knows what you could get up to with that big lighters of yours" The boy giggled, and picked it up from his belt. "Impressive… And if you tell me that you'll _show me_ what's really impressive, I might have to decide that Gwaine learned how to clone himself."

Merlin had to laugh out loud at this, the sound reverberating inside the helmet and making him dizzy. Allied with his natural clumsiness, it made him trip, and Spiderman held him through the shoulders. They were really close now, so Merlin could finally notice he was a few inches shorter — and this changed nothing.

"Now, that's a first — saving a villain" the guy was clearly out of breath, and there was an undeniable spark of interest in the midst of his pants. "I might be loosing myself."

"Oh — but all I ever needed was some love to be saved" Merlin answered, even more breathlessly. "Maybe a kiss from Spiderman would make me good again."

"Maybe it would" the boy said, before stepping back, and Merlin felt really bereft of his warmth for all that his costume was hot as hell. "Come here!"

The guy held up his hand and ran, moving decisively through the garden, until he reached one of the trees that separated the place they were from their friend's house. He let go of Merlin's hand when he reached it, but immediately started to try and climb the tree.

"What are you doing?" Merlin was laughing, and it was a sight to be seen, Spiderman trying far too hard to climb a tree.

"Well — if you need a Spiderman kiss, I better do it properly, right?" he said, sitting on one of the branches. "Come closer."

Merlin did, because, really, this was easier than what he had expected, and the other guy quickly turned upside down, holding himself through his bent knees.

"You'll fall!" Merlin warned, putting a hand in his shoulders, as if he could stop it by sheer will.

"Nah — I'm used to it. Come on, Vader — time to show your inner Anakin."

And, sure, they had agreed not to take out their masks until the big reveal after the contest, but this was something else, this was an opportunity he wasn't willing to miss — even more so if the guy clearly wanted him without even knowing who he was. It was not as if there was much light here anyway, they were in the darkness, and one of them was upside down, and even if his identity was discovered — well, it'd be worth it.

Merlin took out his helmet slowly — it was a clumsy thing, and put it slowly on the ground because he _really_ couldn't afford damaging it. Spiderman pulled his costume a bit, and he stepped forward.

It was an odd kiss — not unexpected, considering the angle — but not a bad one. It was actually _really_ good. Spiderman had only freed up to his lips, recreating the whole movie scene (and, sure, Spiderman wasn't his thing, but he didn't live under a rock — it was iconic) and Merlin could feel the latex scrapping against his chin as he opened up his mouth more to give better access. He licked the soft, plump lips that were being offered, tasted his teeth, rubbed against his tongue. It was _amazing_.

It lasted for a good few seconds, and he was sure that the boy's blood was all in his head. He lost no time in letting go of the branch, then, falling easily on his two hands as if he did backsprings every day. Merlin naturally took a step back, surprised as he was before the boy was facing him again.

"Are you feeling good yet, or should we try the proper way now?"

"I still feel naughty" Merlin answered, before stepping forward and pressing the guy against a tree.

It was even better now — he could fully explore his mouth, and those firm arms were around him, pulling him in. There was no mistaking the hardness he felt against his own body, and he wondered for a moment if his own could be felt as well. They kissed, nonstop, the mask going askew as Merlin's gloved, weird hands tried to _feel_ the other boy, hold his head. They didn't stop until they were out of breath, and probably wouldn't have stopped even then if someone hadn't picked up the microphone to let everyone know it was time to announce the winners of the costume competition.

"We should go…" Merlin said, even if he couldn't find it in him to care about it anymore, not when his lips were tingling from kissing and he wanted nothing more than to keep doing it until the sun rose.

"We should" Spiderman agreed, before kissing him again, hands digging into Merlin's hair and pulling him closer.

"We _really should_ " Merlin moaned, bucking his hips involuntarily and the other boy hissed.

"We're missing a Vader here!" someone — Gwaine — shouted on the microphone.

"You should go" the other boy said.

"I prefer celebrating with you" Merlin knew it sounded cheesy, but it felt right, and there was something awfully familiar about the laugh that followed. "Won't you come to give me a celebratory kiss on the stage?"

"I'll be right behind you — just give me a minute."

He still seemed out of breath, lips probably bruised, and there was nothing that could've hidden the volume in his pants — the downsides of being Spiderman. Merlin gave him a small peck, picked up his helmet, putting it back on and headed inside.

Gwaine seemed to be holding on all the announcement until he showed up, but after he started, Morgana lost no time in speaking.

"In third place — we have Vivian as Regina George — congratulations" Morgana passed the girl a ribbon and a bottle of vodka. "In second place — Freya, in her wonderful catwoman costume" and _wow_ he hadn't even recognised her — generally so shy and soft spoken, but it had worked really well for her, and she looked happy as she pulled off her mask — and probably drunk, as she kissed Morgana's cheek and blushed, getting her tequila bottle and hugging Gwen before putting on her ribbon. "And, finally, this year's winners — for nobody's surprise — the legion of the force!"

Gwaine whooped high and clapped Merlin's back for a second before running and jumping in Percy's arms, yelling "good Chewie, we made it Chewie"

They stepped on the stage, and Morgana was laughing at Gwaine's continuous antics.

"I'm afraid it's still just one ribbon and one bottle for you all" she said, handing the Jack Daniels to Gwaine. "And now, off with this costumes — we're tired of not knowing who we're talking to — no, not you Gwaine, no stripping —"

It was a bit too late, as Gwaine had already ripped off his shirt, but people were laughing and one by one his friends took off their helmets, letting their identities be known — Lance, Leon, Elyan, Owain, Will, Ewan, Geraint, Pellinore, Kay, Gaheris, Galahad, Gareth, Percy — and it was his turn, and he took out his helmet, needing a few seconds to adjust to the light, before seeing everyone. The people were cheering — except Mordred, who was always a wanker, and shouldn't…

A wanker in a Spiderman suit, a mask in his hand.

A wanker with kiss-bruised lips.

A wanker who had just snogged the hell out of Merlin.

A wanker that was now looking at him, as if he had been betrayed.

A wanker that looked too fucking good to be true and that was far too delicious, and who kissed far too well and that should be pushed against a wall and kissed until…

And, suddenly, Merlin's whole life had gone to hell.


End file.
